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Refiner
REFINER (See Occupations and Professions: Coppersmith, Craftsman, Goldsmith, Silversmith)
REFINER, REFINING (צָרַף, H7671, and זָקַק, H2423, inflected as finite verbs and participles; many different Gr. words in the LXX are used, all meaning try, refine, smelt, purify, smith, et al.; NT πυρόω, G4792, is the Gr. verb in
Normally, refining is a term used in reference to metals, but in Job (36:27) the word זָקַק, H2423, is used in reference to rain, and in Isaiah (25:6), in reference to wine. Since the basic meaning of this verb is to distill or strain, its use in cases of liquids is understandable. The more common word צָרַף, H7671, is used exclusively of metals except when used fig.
The process of refining was quite simple. It involved heating the ore to the melting point and then extracting the metal. The metal was refined by heating it to the liquid state and then skimming or blowing off the impurities, or dross. Naturally, such refined gold or silver was more precious and expensive. The altar of incense was made of refined gold (
The process of refining illustrates God’s dealing with His people; He is the refiner, they are the metal. So Isaiah can say fig., “I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction” (
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
The ancient process of refining gold has already been described under METALLURGY (which see). Most of the Bible references are to the refining of silver (
Figurative:
In the various Bible references the refining of precious metals is used figuratively to illustrate the kind of trial God’s children are called upon to go through. If they are of the right metal the dross will finally be blown away, leaving pure, clear, shining silver. If of base metal they will be like the dross described in
James A. Patch